IPTV has taken several steps forward in recent days. From its humble beginnings several years ago to its mass implementation these days, it is becoming obvious that as traditional phones are trading out in favor of VoIP, traditional television will also be subsiding in favor of IPTV. When I use the term IPTV I am speaking of the technology in a wide sense, rather than a specific technical sense and including in my definition some technologies which are not strictly IPTV. According to my definition, I am claiming an technology that allows professional media content to be delivered to end users over an IP connection.

    At this time we have several major players in this IPTV market. There are the major media networks which have begun offering streaming versions of their content interspersed with ads. These include CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX. Then we have the film distribution centers similar to Blockbuster and Netflix, including Movielink and Vongo. Finally we have third-party services that offer television content from multiple media networks such as Apple's iTunes, AOL's In2TV, and Joost.

   With it seeming obvious that most IPTV will gravitate towards ad-supported rather than outright fees (e.g. iTunes) the question becomes how best to optimize one's advertising. Here are several suggestions:

1. Include Various Ads - Especially in the earlier days of IPTV it was common for there to be only one advertiser throughout the enter span of a show, which was fine if they had different commercials but frustrating when it was the same advertiser over and over. There needs to be diversity.
2. Know Your Audience - Tracking should be implemented of viewers habits, associating interest in ads and showing similar ads, while decreasing ads that the viewer has no interest in. There is no reason to show ads for feminine products (e.g. conditioner) to twenty-something males.
3. Include Interactivity - ABC's Launch has done a good job with the interactivity element, while CBS's InnerTube has utterly failed. Allowing user's the ability to pursue an ad is a great idea and also eases methodology for tracking interest.